Off-field memories are super, too

Another year, another Super Bowl, and, hopefully, more memorable moments.

This is 34 and counting. Many of my most memorable moments have nothing to do with the game.

For instance, this is the 49ers‘ sixth Super Bowl, and I’ve covered them all. I remember when head coach Bill Walsh dressed like a bellman, and when his players arrived at their hotel, he helped them with their bags just to ease the tension on his young team.

I remember 49ers tackle Bubba Paris disclosing to the media that he had become a Christian and how he’d reached the moment of clarity that changed his life – when he was having sex with a girlfriend.

Before the 49ers downed Cincinnati 20-16 at Miami, Bengals safety Solomon Wilcots told the media he had seen the movie “Mississippi Burning” the night before, and when he returned to his room and went to his balcony, he saw Miami burning.

Riots in the Overtown section of Miami received almost as much attention as the game. Former Houston Post sportswriter Ray Buck took a wrong turn that week and ended up with a bullet hole in his rental car.

During that same Super Bowl XXIII weekend, Bengals running back Stanley Wilson went on a cocaine binge in his hotel room and was left off the game roster.

I’ll never forget how media day became Media Day. MTV veejay Downtown Julie Brown at Super Bowl XVII got a lot of well-deserved attention in the media for the way she looked. She wore a super-short dress, and after asking unsuspecting players a couple of questions, she jumped into their arms so the MTV cameras could record their reactions.

The biggest topic of discussion at Super Bowl XX in New Orleans wasn’t how badly Chicago would dominate New England (46-10), but whether Bears quarterback Jim McMahon had mooned a television helicopter that was hovering over the Bears’ practice field.

Tennessee owner Bud Adams enjoyed himself immensely at Super Bowl XXXIV. During a news conference, he talked about a Houston “boob doctor” and found a way to bring up prostitutes on Dowling Street.

At Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami, Atlanta safety Eugene Robinson won the Bart Starr Award from Athletes in Action. The annual award is presented to a player with “high moral character.”

Talk about bad timing. The night before the Falcons played Denver, Robinson was arrested in a seedy part of Miami for soliciting a prostitute. Actually, he solicited an undercover policewoman in a sting operation. He played in the Broncos’ 34-19 victory and apologized to everyone afterward.

New England’s three-point victory over Carolina at Reliant Stadium was an outstanding game, but it’s remembered more for Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction and a streaker.

I’ve often wondered how much, if any, Oakland center Barret Robbins’ drunken rampage in Mexico contributed to the Raiders‘ 48-21 loss to Tampa Bay in Super Bowl XXXVII. It was a horrendous game-day distraction for the Raiders.

During the Super Bowl halftime shows, most writers work on stories and seldom even notice who’s on the elaborate stage. Only once have I seen every writer stop typing to watch a performance. It happened at the height of Michael Jackson’s popularity. We were mesmerized.

Speaking of the halftime extravaganzas, the most touching moment I’ve experienced came at the Superdome, site of Sunday’s game between San Francisco and Baltimore.

Of everything I’ve witnessed before, during and after a Super Bowl, nothing got to me as much as halftime of Super Bowl XXXVI. Almost five months after the Sept. 11 tragedy, U2 played. As Bono sang, the names of everyone killed scrolled on a gigantic screen behind him. I still get goose bumps thinking about it.

Only time will tell if Super Bowl XLVII will provide more memorable moments for those of us who are fortunate enough to be here.

John McClain is a longtime NFL writer for the Houston Chronicle, The San Francisco Chronicle’s sister paper in Texas. He will be part of our Super Bowl coverage all week. E-mail: John.McClain@chron.com